Tacoma for All Files Lawsuit to Remove Competing Initiative from November Ballot
On August 2nd, Tacoma for All, a renters’ rights group, filed suit against the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, and the county auditor to have “Measure Two”, the city of Tacoma’s competing tenant protection measure, removed from the November ballot.
Last month, the Tacoma City Council passed an ordinance that expanded renters’ rights by requiring that landlords comply with city licensing and safety requirements before increasing rent or evicting tenants, setting limits on late fees and pet deposits, and adding new regulations for shared housing, among other changes.
That ordinance went into effect July 24, but the council also voted for the ordinance to appear on the November ballot next to Tacoma for All’s citizen initiative as “Measure Two”, leaving it up to voters to decide if they are in support of either ordinance, and regardless of if yes or no, which measure should be enacted should it pass.
The litigants claim that the city went beyond its charter by putting the second measure on the ballot in direct. They also claim that the city has no authority under state law to do so. The tenant advocates also say that having two measures appear on the ballot on the same subject could be confusing for voters.
WMFHA has not taken a position on either measure, although staff are actively involved in several discussions regarding these measures. Any decision and action will be taken through the WMFHA Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and WMFHA PAC.
Tacoma based and other interested members are encouraged to contact Ryan Makinster, Director of Government Affairs, for more information and to get involved in the process.